Big Stone Hutterite Colony (Dominion City, Manitoba, Canada)

Big Stone Hutterite Colony was formed in 1898 because the Hutterites in South Dakota feared possible compulsory military service. The Spanish-American War in 1898 involved the United States in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Phillippines, and Guam. To have an avoidance possibility in place, the colony established the Big Stone Colony near Dominion City so that they could move to Canada to avoid compulsory military service. The Canadian government was eager to have them all move to Canada. However, the move was not necessary for military service avoidance because the war did not last long, and furthermore, the Hutterites decided the land was of poor quality for agriculture. Big Stone Colony was dissolved after a very short existence.